Soil pollution is defined as the build-up in soils of persistent toxic compounds, chemicals, salts, radioactive materials, or disease causing agents, which have adverse effects on plant growth and animal health.  Land pollution occurs massively during earth quakes, land slides, hurricanes and floods. All cause hard to clean mess, which is expensive to clean, and sometimes take years to restore the affected area. These kinds of natural disasters are not only a problem in that they cause pollution but also because they leave many victims homeless. After the World War II, many countries suffered from food shortage and this facilitated the introduction of fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals.

Soil is a thin layer of material on the Earth’s surface in which plants have their roots. It is made up of many things, such as weathered rock and decayed plant and animal matter. Soil is formed over a long period of time. Soil Formation takes place when many things interact, such as air, water, plant life, animal life, rocks, and chemicals. The formation of soil happens over a very long period of time. It can take 1000 years or more. Soil is formed from the weathering of rocks and minerals. The surface rocks break down into smaller pieces through a process of weathering and is then mixed with moss and organic matter. Over time this creates a thin layer of soil. Plants help the development of the soil. The plants attract animals, and when the animals die, their bodies decay. Decaying matter makes the soil thick and rich. This continues until the soil is fully formed. The soil then supports many different plants.

Weathering is the process of the breaking down rocks. There are two different types of weathering: physical weathering and chemical weathering. In physical weathering it breaks down the rocks, but what it’s made of stays the same. In chemical weathering it still breaks down the rocks, but it may change what it’s made of. For instance, a hard material may change to a soft material after chemical weathering. Soils are a mixture of different things; rocks, minerals, and dead, decaying plants and animals. Soil can be very different from one location to another, but generally consists of organic and inorganic materials, water and air. The inorganic materials are the rocks that have been broken down into smaller pieces. The size of the pieces varies. It may appear as pebbles, gravel, or as small as particles of sand or clay. The organic material is decaying living matter. This could be plants or animals that have died and decay until they become part of the soil. The amount of water in the soil is closely linked with the climate and other characteristics of the region. The amount of water in the soil is one thing that can affect the amount of air. Very wet soil found in a wetland probably has very little air. The composition of the soil affects the plants and therefore the animals that can live there.

Soil Profile refers to the layers of soil; horizon A, B, and C. Horizon A refers to the upper layer of soil, nearest the surface. It is commonly known as topsoil. In the woods or other areas that have not been plowed or tilled, this layer would probably include organic litter, such as fallen leaves and twigs. The litter helps prevent erosion, holds moisture, and decays to form a very rich soil known as humus. Horizon A provides plants with nutrients they need for a great life. The layer below horizon A, of course, has to be horizon B. Litter is not present in horizon B and therefore there is much less humus. Horizon B does contain some elements from horizon A because of the process of leaching. Leaching resembles what happens in a coffee pot as the water drips through the coffee grounds. Leaching may also bring some minerals from horizon B down to horizon C. If horizon B is below horizon A, then horizon C must be below horizon B. Horizon C consists mostly of weatherized big rocks. This solid rock, gave rise to the horizons above it. Soil profiles look different in different areas of the world. They are affected by climate and other things.

Sand, silt, and clay are the basic types of soil. Most soils are made up of a combination of the three. The texture of the soil, how it looks and feels, depends upon the amount of each one in that particular soil. The type of soil varies from place to place on our planet and can even vary from one place to another in our own backyard. Soil erosion, caused by wind and rain, can change land by wearing down mountains, creating valleys, making rivers appear and disappear. It is a slow and gradual process that takes thousands, even millions of years. But erosion may be speeded up greatly by human activities such as farming and mining. Soil develops very slowly over a long period of time but can be lost too quickly. The clearing of land for farming, residential, and commercial use can quickly destroy soil. It speeds up the process of erosion by leaving soil exposed and also prevents development of new soil by removing the plants and animals that help build humus. Today’s farmers try to farm in a way that reduces the amount of erosion and soil loss. They may plant cover crops or use a no-till method of farming. Soil is an important resource that we all must protect. Without soil there is no life.

The wars that hit the earth are probably the immediate cause of soil pollution. Not talking in the sense of how many people died but in that it is through this period that many countries found the necessity to improve their living standards. After the world war two, many countries suffered from food shortage and this facilitated the introduction of fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals. Although KNP [Potassium, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus] fertilizers have not led to soil pollution, the application of trace elements has. Pesticides such as DDT [dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane] a colorless chemical pesticide, which is a potent nerve poison in insects, was first widely used to combat diseases such as yellow fever and malaria. It was later used to control and/ or eradicate disease carrying and crop eating insects. DDT was later on discovered to cause endangerment of species in the same food chain as the controlled insects, particularly birds. DDT prevents the shelling of bird eggs and in humans causes health threats.

In yet another famous war of Vietnam in 1970’s was introduced another Chemical substance which had a more adverse effect than that of DDT, Dioxin a chemical impurity resulting from the production of the auxin 2,4, 5T. Dioxin is a toxic chemical and was used as a defoliant by the American army. Dioxin was a major constituent of argent orange which was applied on trees which would then fall off reaviling enemy camps. After the war it was found that the chemical cause congenital deformalities and mental effects to the children born to the American soldiers and in the area over which it was applied. In minute amount dioxin has the ability to cause cancer, chloracne, miscarriage, and fetal abnormalities. 

Glass industries have also been responsible of soil pollution. The glass industries use Arsenic to eliminate a green colour caused by impurities of iron compounds. Because arsenic is a violent poison, yet it is widely used and therefore is a frequent contaminant.  Arsenic is sometimes added to lead to harden it and is also used in the manufacture of such military poison gases as lewisite and adamsite. Until the introduction of penicillin, arsenic was of great importance in the treatment of syphilis. In other medicinal uses, it has been displaced by sulpha drugs or antibiotics. Lead arsenate, calcium arsenate, and Paris green are used extensively as insecticides.

Pollution of land by heavy metals is a result of the mining of ores to extract metals such as tin, silver, nickel, lead, iron, chromium and copper. Most of these metals occur naturally as ions in the soils. Though some metals, such as copper, iron, and zinc, are necessary for plant growth, it is the high concentration if these ions that renders the land unsuitable for plant growth. Soil pollution is widely linked to chemical substances but irrigation is somehow linked to it as well. Soil pollution has been slightly controlled by putting regulations on the use of DDT and introduction of alternatives to it. However the task of eliminating completely soil pollution is not easy, third some third world countries still utilize pollutants such as DDT as pesticides. Mining cannot be stopped because we are in constant need for mineral ores for different applications. 

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Both the area of land covered with grass in the U.S., and the area of England are both the same size. Both cover approximately 50 million acres. The reason these both statistics are interesting to note, is that the custom of having manicured lawns in America comes from England. The wealthy English noblemen who lived on large estates were the only ones who could afford to have manicured lawns. Gardners were employed to keep the grounds picture perfect in the days before lawn mowers. As more and more wealthy Americans visited England, they fell in love with those beautiful lawns and brought the custom back with them to the U. S. The quickly found out that this was easier said than done. The native grass that grew in the States, did not produce the results that they expected.

It wasn’t until the early 1900’s that the United States Department of Agriculture assisted the U.S. Golf association in their quest for a suitable grass for the many golf courses that were sprouting up all over the country. After several years of research, they came up with grasses that would grow well on these golf courses. As more and more golf courses were established, the golf club required pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers to keep these non-native grasssslooking beautiful. It became a matter of economics as the most beautiful golf courses drew the most customers.

The proliferation of lawns, the widespread availability of chemicals, and the gas powered lawn mower were the catalyst that made the lawn so popular here in the United States. Lawns are a big business generating millions of dollars of revenue from the sale of the grass itself to the care and maintenance of that lawn.

Fertilizers and Lawns

The problem with having these beautiful lawns is that the fertilizers being used to keep them green is wrecking havoc on our waterways and causing a severe water pollution problem. While Nitrogen and Phosphorus, the two main ingredients of fertilizers help us grow those beautiful lawns, they also

· Stimulate the growth of aquatic plants and algae.

· Cause algae blooms

· Cause clogged waterways

· Use up the oxygen in the water when they decompose

· Block available sunlight causing death to native aquatic plants

· Cause the death of fish due to the lack of oxygen

Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Fertilizers

Fertilizers normally contain three major ingredients, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in the form of potash. The numbers on the bags indicate how much of each of these elements are found in the product and always indicate the amount of N-P-K, always in that order.

Nitrogen and phosphorus are naturally occurring elements and are essential to plant growth. The problem is that too much of a good thing is destroying our waterways, and making them very unhealthy. Scientists are still studying the role that fertilizers, which contain these essential elements, are contributing to the decrease in the quality of our oceans, lakes and streams.

Their research is leading to the conclusion that Phosphorus is causing the algae blooms and other problems in fresh water, while nitrogen can be the cause of pollution in our coastal waters.

There are movements on in many communities and countries to ban or limit the use of fertilizers. Westchester County, one of the most affluent counties in the United States, recently banned the use of phosphorus on lawns and put restrictions on the use of fertilizers in an effort to protect their nearby waters. More and more municipalities are putting fertilizer bans or restrictions in place.

Conclusion

America’s love affair with beautiful lawns has to change. No longer can we dump millions of pounds of fertilizers on our lawns and also expect to have clean water. The big problem with the bans that have been put into place is that it is difficult to enforce them on residential properties. Much education is needed to change the mindset of those people who insist on these green lawns. They need to be shown the direct correlation between the fertilizers used on their lawns and the effect it has on our waterways.

Just as gas guzzling automobiles are losing their status symbol due to environmental awareness, lush green lawns will also lose their status. As the world moves towards a greener planet, the lawns as we know them will be a thing of the past.

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When toxic substances enter lakes, streams, rivers, oceans, and other water bodies, they get dissolved or lie suspended in water or get deposited on the bed. This results in the pollution of water whereby the quality of the water deteriorates, affecting aquatic ecosystems. Pollutants can also seep down and affect the groundwater deposits.

Water pollution has many sources. The most polluting of them are the city sewage and industrial waste discharged into the rivers. The facilities to treat waste water are not adequate in any city all over the world. Presently, only about 10% of the waste water generated is treated; the rest is discharged as it is into our water bodies. Due to this, pollutants enter groundwater, rivers, and other water bodies. Such water, which ultimately ends up in our households, is often highly contaminated and carries disease-causing microbes. Agricultural run-off, or the water from the fields that drains into rivers, is another major water pollutant as it contains fertilizers and pesticides.

Domestic sewage refers to waste water that is discarded from households. Also referred to as sanitary sewage, such water contains a wide variety of dissolved and suspended impurities. It amounts to a very small fraction of the sewage by weight. But it is large by volume and contains impurities such as organic materials and plant nutrients that tend to rot. The main organic materials are food and vegetable waste, plant nutrient come from chemical soaps, washing powders, etc. Domestic sewage is also very likely to contain disease-causing microbes. Thus, disposal of domestic waste water is a significant technical problem.  

Many people dump their garbage into streams, lakes, rivers, and seas, thus making water bodies the final resting place of cans, bottles, plastics, and other household products. The various substances that we use for keeping our houses clean add to water pollution as they contain harmful chemicals. In the past, people mostly used soaps made from animal and vegetable fat for all types of washing. But most of today’s cleaning products are synthetic detergents and come from the petrochemical industry. Most detergents and washing powders contain phosphates, which are used to soften the water among other things. These and other chemicals contained in washing powders affect the health of all forms of life in the water.

The use of land for agriculture and the practices followed in cultivation greatly affect the quality of groundwater. Intensive cultivation of crops causes chemicals from fertilizers (e.g. nitrate) and pesticides to seep into the groundwater, a process commonly known as leaching. Routine applications of fertilizers and pesticides for agriculture and indiscriminate disposal of industrial and domestic wastes are increasingly being recognized as significant sources of water pollution. The high nitrate content in groundwater is mainly from irrigation run-off from agricultural fields where chemical fertilizers have been used indiscriminately.

Waste water from manufacturing or chemical processes in industries contributes to water pollution. Industrial waste water usually contains specific and readily identifiable chemical compounds. During the last fifty years, the number of industries has grown rapidly. But water pollution is concentrated within a few sub sectors, mainly in the form of toxic wastes and organic pollutants. Out of this a large portion can be traced to the processing of industrial chemicals and to the food products industry. In fact, a number of large- and medium-sized industries do not have adequate effluent treatment facilities. Most of these defaulting industries are sugar mills, distilleries, leather processing industries, and thermal power stations. Most major industries have treatment facilities for industrial effluents. But this is not the case with small-scale industries, which cannot afford enormous investments in pollution control equipment as their profit margin is very slender.

The effects of water pollution are not only devastating to people but also to animals, fish, and birds. Polluted water is unsuitable for drinking, recreation, agriculture, and industry. It diminishes the aesthetic quality of lakes and rivers. More seriously, contaminated water destroys aquatic life and reduces its reproductive ability. Eventually, it is a hazard to human health. Nobody can escape the effects of water pollution. The individual and the community can help minimize water pollution. By simple housekeeping and management practices the amount of waste generated can be minimized.

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